Daniel Sanders joins KTM rally team
The Australian enduro champion has his sights set on the fabled Dakar RallyDaniel Sanders has set his sights on the Dakar Rally, with the multi-time Australian enduro champion inking a deal with the KTM Factory Racing rally team.
The Victorian rider will pilot a KTM 450 Rally at the upcoming Andalucia Rally in Spain, with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the Dakar Rally in January, 2021.
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Toby Price putting greater priority on four wheels
Euro vacation
Sanders is currently in Europe, spending time with KTM manager and former Dakar ‘water carrier’, Jordi Viladoms. As well as familiarising himself with the KTM 450 Rally, Sanders is also learning roadbook and navigation skills. He is in good hands, with the tight-knit KTM rally team including three Dakar winners in Toby Price, Matthias Walkner and Sam Sunderland.
While a potential rally career was always on the horizon for Sanders, it was the COVID-19 pandemic that sped things up. “With the current worldwide pandemic, there’s not that much racing going on,” said Sanders. “When the opportunity to join the rally team came up, I grabbed it with both hands.”
Off-road hero
Hailing from an apple orchard in Three Bridges, Victoria, the larrikin Aussie has well and truly cemented himself as a star in the off-road world. Sanders won the 2019 Australian Off-Road Championship (outright and E3 class) and the 2018 Hattah Desert Race.
Affectionately known by his nickname Chucky, Sanders is no stranger to the international stage either. He has competed for the KTM Factory Team in the EnduroGP world championship, and has also represented Australia multiple times at the International Six Day Enduro (ISDE). He was the individual outright champion at the 2019 ISDE.
Family game
Having spent much of his career as part of the KTM family (riding for both KTM and Husqvarna), a move to the KTM Rally Team is a natural next step for the 26-year-old. He follows in the footsteps of his former teammate and compatriot, Toby Price, who has already won Dakar on two occasions.
While Sanders’ career path is similar to Price’s, there is one major distinction. Price has won the Finke Desert Race on five occasions – a race that Sanders is yet to compete in.
Whether Sanders can adapt to the high-speed desert racing and navigational challenges of the Dakar Rally remains to be seen, but his 2018 Hattah Desert Race win suggests he has what it takes.
The Andalucia Rally is scheduled to take place in Spain from October 6-10. The Dakar Rally is due to take place in Saudi Arabia in January, 2021.
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